Combined stiffener and car-door hinge



L G. MILLER,

(JOMBINED STlFFENER AND CA'R DOOR HINGE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB 18, 1921.

Patented. May M9, 1921,

am a t al are Lana LOUIS G. MILLER, OF W'ESTIVIONT BOROUGH, PENNSYL'V'ANIA.

60138113131151) STIIFFENER AND CAR-DOOR, HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14) 1921.

Application filed February s, 1921. Serial no. 446,065.,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS G. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Westmont, in the county" by declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of cars and particularly of metal cars, and consists generally of a construction whereby the car floor or the carhopper adjacent to the discharge doors is strengthened and reinforced by a metal member secured to or near the edge, and which in addition to serving as a strengthening member is also so constructed that it serves as a portion of the hinge on which the door operates. By combining these two features, I make a construction which is lighter, cheaper and more efficient than if'these were separate items,'as the weight and labor involved in my construction is less while its strength and usefulness is maintained.

Another object of my invention is that the combined reinforcing and hinge member may be made integral in all respects from a steel or malleable iron casting and the hinge pintle portion is also integral and obviates the use of supplementary pins, nuts, washers and cotter. pins which are customarily used in this connection. The use of my combined member will minimize the amount and cost of stifiening and strengthening a car fl or or the hopper sheets thereof adjacent to the door opening, thereby providing the required rigidity without the use of unnecessary parts, and my construction is also simple, economical and efiicient.

Referring now to the annexed sheet of drawings which forms apart of this specification :-Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation through the hopper and doors of a portion of a car taken on the line lt-ll of Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional elevation taken on the line Il[-H of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation of a portion of a car hopper and door taken on the line l-l of Fig.

2. Fig. a is a plan view of one of the stiffener and hinge members, Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 6 is an end elevation thereof. I

Referring now to the characters of reference on the drawings :1 indicates a portion of a car in general, 2 are the side hopper sheets thereof, 3' is the center ridge plate of the car which covers the center s'ills' as illustrated, 4 and 5 are the transverse hopper sheets, 6 is my combined stifi'ener and door hinge member. in general, 7 is the downwardly depending flange portion thereof, the lower portion of which is curved as illustrated in order to provide for the bending movements to which it is subjected, the most metal being at the center and tapering thence toward the ends where less metal is needed to meet the bending stresses, 8 are transverse ribs formed integral with the rest of the bar between which ribs is an integral member 9 of circular cylindrical section adapted to form the pintle of a hinge, 10 are triangular longitudinal ribs adapted to reinforce the structure,11 are rearwardly or outwardly projecting flat portions adapted to be secured to the car floor or car hopper bottom near the edge thereof and adjacent to the door opening, these providing a greater width in a lateral direction in order to insure strength and stability to the construction in general, 12 are bolt or rivet holes provided in the upper member of the main portion of the stiffener bar, and 13 are bolt or rivet holes in the rear-.

wardlv projecting portions 11, these being also adapted for securing the same in position. A space or opening 14 is provided above the hinge pintle member 9 adapted to allow the insertion of the end of the hinge strap therethrough, which hinge strap partially surroufids the member 9. The car door which is shown as of pressed steel form, is 15, and is provided with a hinge strap 16 which may preferably be secured to the. under side thereof and projects downwardly therefrom hinge pin 9, and this filler may be either bolted or riveted, although I have illustrated it as secured by the rivet 20.

Although I have illustrated my invention in connection with a certain type of hopper car known as the H25, I wish it understood that it can be used in connection with any type of car which is provided with door openings and doors.

' v I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1. A car stiifenerhaving a portion adapted to be secured to the car adjacent the door opening thereof and provided with integral strengthening flanges projecting outwardly therefrom and one or more hinge pintle portions, integral with said stiffener.

2. An integral stiffener and car hinge membercomprising a portion adapted to be secured to and against the car floor and having flanges or ribs extending outwardly from same and a'plurality of substantially cylindrical pintles adapted to rotatablysup port a door hinge.

3. An integral stiffener and door hinge member comprising a flat portion adapted to be secured to a car floor and provided,

with one or more longitudinal flanges projecting downwardly therefrom and a plurality of pairs of transverse ribs between each pair of which is'a substantially cylindrical pintle, adapted to receive the candoorhinge.

4. An integral stiffener and door hinge member comprising a flat portion with a pair or smaller flat portionsprojecting' substantially parallel to and outwardly therefrom, all of said flat portions being adapted to be secured adjacent to a car floor, a

longitudinal stifl'ening flange projecting downwardly therefrom, deeper at its center than at its end portions, a plurality of pairs of transverse ribs projecting downwardly from the longitudinally extending flat por- Y tion, between each pair of which is a sub stantially circular cyllndrical pintle, adapted to rotatably support a car door hinge.

5. An integral stiffener and hinge mem- I ber provided with a flat portion secured to a pintles spaced apart from the flat portion and adapted to'rotatably support the door hinge.

6. An integral stiffener and hinge member provided with a flat-portion secured to a car floor near the door opening thereof and provided with a longitudinally and down wardly extending strengthening flange and with a plurality of pairs'of transverse ribs, between each of which pairs is a substantially cylindrical pintle spaced apart from the flat portion and adapted to rotata-bly support a door hinge.

7. Ina 'car, an integral stiffener and hinge member provided with a flat portion secured to a car floor near the door opening thereof,said member having a longitudinally and an outwardly extending strengthening flange deeper at its center than at its end portions, a plurality of substantially cylindrical pintles spaced apart from the flat portion and supported by transverse ribs connecting with the flat portion aforesaid, and car door hinges rotatably supported by said pintles.

In' witness whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

Lotus e, MILLER. 

